One of Ohio State’s top defensive line targets for the 2023 class is getting closer to making a decision.
Four-star Maryland defensive lineman Jason Moore narrowed down his college selection to five schools on Friday: Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Maryland.
Wheres home?? https://t.co/4HGL5mFKJa
— Jason Moore (@jayymoneyy32_) May 13, 2022
Moore was offered by the Buckeyes on Jan. 26 and took his first visit to Columbus on April 16 for Ohio State’s spring game. He’s expected to return to OSU for an official visit on June 24, while he has set earlier official visits to Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan.
"The culture, it's like nothing else,” Moore told 247Sports of Ohio State. “The history speaks for itself, especially with coach Larry Johnson and his reputation for getting D-Linemen to the league. That really sticks out. Being able to get out there helped me see the campus and learn more about the school, which I really loved."
While OSU is heavily pursuing the 6-foot-6, 255-pound top-50 prospect in the 2023 cycle, Notre Dame is widely regarded as a frontrunner to land Moore.
Ohio State’s other defensive line targets for the 2023 class include Vic Burley, Tomarrion Parker, John Walker, A’mauri Washington, Jordan Hall, Kayden McDonald, AJ Hoffler, Stephiylan Green and Darron Reed.
Heyward offered at safety
Ohio State has entered the race for a four-star safety in the 2024 class. Florida prospect Jaylen Heyward announced Sunday he has received an offer from the Buckeyes.
EXTREMELY BLESSED TO RECEIVE
— Jaylen Ap Heyward 4 DB (@Jayasii) May 15, 2022
A(N) OFFER FROM OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ! #GoBuckeyes @OhioStateFB @Coach_Eliano @CoachTonyAlford @CoachJimKnowles @CoachYounger14 @TRONE2 @7_djjjj @traven_green @thetrueEC3 @Bigheavy60 pic.twitter.com/mMeCyuDTOS
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Heyward is considered to be the 84th-best player and 11th-best safety in the 2024 cycle, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. To this point, he’s received 24 Division I offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
In 10 games for Rockledge High School (Rockledge, Florida) last season, Heyward racked up 35 tackles, three interceptions and six pass deflections.
Larsen offered at tight end
The Buckeyes offered their third tight end of the 2024 cycle over the weekend, when four-star North Carolina prospect Jack Larsen announced he had received an offer from OSU on Saturday.
Extremely excited to say I have received an offer from THE hio State University! #gobuckeyes @OSUCoachKDub @ryandaytime @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/sMGG0n6gTQ
— Jack Larsen (@jacklarsen35) May 14, 2022
Larsen, standing at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, is considered the 151st-best player and the seventh-best tight end in the 2024 cycle. Ohio State is his 23rd Division I offer. Other schools that have offered Larsen to this point include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
In five games with Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, North Carolina) in 2021, Larsen caught 15 passes for 199 yards.
Harris will make official visit to Ohio State
One of Ohio State’s top targets at cornerback for the 2023 class, four-star Florida defensive back Daniel Harris, has scheduled an official visit to Ohio State.
Harris told On3 recently he’ll take a trip to Columbus on June 11-12, after which he will visit Georgia (June 18-19) and Penn State (June 25-26).
Ohio State offered Harris on Feb. 23.
“I’ve been building a relationship with Coach Walton, and he tells me about how he coached all of the best defensive backs,” Harris told On3. “Like Jalen Ramsey, he just got the highest-paid contract. He produces the best DBs, so I like what I’ve seen. I like how they run their defense. They produce a lot of good DBs, and they prefer long, tall defensive backs, too. That’s what Coach Walton was telling me. He feels like he can coach me, produce me and put me in the league.”
OSU already has one cornerback committed in the 2023 class in Dijon Johnson, and the Buckeyes would like to take three in the current cycle. Other targets include Kayin Lee, Cormani McClain, Christian Gray, Sharif Denson and Calvin Simpson-Hunt.
